NGT’s Line One will run from Holt Park in north Leeds into and through Leeds city centre and on to Stourton near the M1/M621 intersection. With around 3,000 park & ride spaces in total, the route runs along the A660 through Lawnswood, Headingley and Hyde Park. It passes the universities and the new Leeds Arena and crosses the city centre via Park Row, City Square and the Rail Station before heading in to south Leeds via New Dock and through the centre of Hunslet, through Belle Isle to Stourton.

Although no decisions from the council were expected today, the meeting looked at some of the planning concerns raised by campaigners and councillors on the city’s main planning panel.

Campaigners have criticised the loss of trees and green space down the A660 and the impact on local businesses during construction. They claim the scheme could add to traffic congestion and that other, cheaper schemes such as battery-powered buses, could be more effective..

By speeding up journeys into and around Leeds, improving local connectivity and preventing the growth of congestion, it’s claimed NGT will provide a £160m per annum boost to the local economy and the creation of 4,000 permanent jobs.